Put Politics Into Sports

I'm not here to celebrate Canada being one of the first countries to speak out against decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have the IIHF reinstate Russia into its sanctioned events and tournaments. As I stated on Saturday, "It's never wrong to stand up for what's right," and that seems to be the prevailing message that European countries are now sending to the IIHF and, to a lesser extent, Russia in their responses to the CAS ruling. Having one "superpower" in Russia miss tournaments while they enegaged in war was something that the IIHF could overcome, but having multiple countries and sponsors make it clear that Russia's participation is neither welcome nor wanted was made clear over the last few days.

The countries shown in black above are Russia and Belarus who are currently banned from IIHF-sanctioned games and events outside of the CAS ruling. The countries shown in red - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, and Latvia - have all released statements indicating that they would boycott all tournament games involving Russia if those countries were to meet them. The countries in yellow - Germany and Finland - have indicated they may engage in those boycotts or abandon hosting duties of IIHF events in those countries.

Clearly, the pressure being put on the IIHF will make things more difficult for the IIHF to hold tournaments with any legitimacy if countries boycott playing against Russia. If Russia doesn't play any games, how can they advance to a medal round? If they are found to have qualified for that medal round due to forfeits, how can that make any hardware they may win legitimate in the eyes of IIHF?

What may make this harder for the IIHF is the hit that they'll take when it comes to the bottom lines of future tournaments. Swedish furniture company AJ Producter is pulling its sponsorship of the IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship after a 37-year run, and Czech sportsbook TipSport said it won't advertise nor offer betting odds for any games involving Russia or Belarus. I imagine other companies may also follow suit, so this could just be the tip of the financial-ruin iceberg for the IIHF's most lucrative events. That's not good.

Finland is also putting pressure on the IIHF by announcing that the city of Turku, Finland would withdraw as co-host of the 2028 IIHF World Junior Championship if Russia participates while there are growing numbers, including from inside the country, for Germany to withdraw its hosting duties for the 2027 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championship in Düsseldorf and Mannheim in May. Needless to say, the IIHF's plans could be thrown into turmoil by these developments.

And just because the IIHF needs another layer of pressure from its membership to do the right thing, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association is looking to form an alliance with other hockey federations to keep Russia from returning to international hockey tournaments while the invasion of Ukraine continues. While nothing formal has been proposed or introduced at this time, Heikki Hietanen, chairman of Finland's hockey association, said on Monday, "We are currently gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia in this situation."

It's funny how a three-person panel comprised of Mr. Giulio Palermo (Italy), Mr. Ismail Selim (Egypt) and Mr. Mark Hovell (UK) can tell the hockey world that Russia's exclusion has no basis, but multiple hockey federations and countries have no power to tell the Court of Arbitration for Sport to kick rocks because there are bigger things happening in the world than a few hockey tournaments into which Russia desperately wants. Stuck in the middle is the IIHF who will likely comply, but should it considering the above? It seems like a fairly easy decision for the IIHF, but I don't run the organization.

It should be fairly obvious that none of Ukraine, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, nor Latvia will ice a team against Russia at any upcoming IIHF tournament, and the likelihood of Ukraine attending the 2027 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championship in Germany is zero if Russia is allowed to compete there. If Canada sticks to its guns, none of the Russian players will be granted visas nor entry into Canada to compete at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, and I am begging the government to stick to that plan.

If Finland gets their hockey alliance going where countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, and Latvia along with Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy, France, and Germany all sign on, that basically seals the deal for the IIHF that Russia's inclusion in tournaments will be impossible. If Canada sets the precedent of denying visas for hockey players, Russia's participation goes back to zero as countries hosting events can follow Canada's lead by simply denying Russians entry.

The IIHF is a business, so they won't take these threats lightly if there's some weight behind them. Like most businesses, they need their biggest tournaments to generate as much revenue as possible to subsidize, fund, and support lower-revenue tournaments and global hockey development programs. Having Russia involved in those high-profile tournaments will hurt the bottom line, so the IIHF would be wise to listen to the majority of its top-tier member countries.

Look, this doesn't need a lot of debate from either side. The countries named above have every political right to prevent Russians from participating in events inside their borders by denying those athletes and staff entry, the IIHF can "comply" passively with the CAS decision in order to keep everyone happy, and the various hockey federations can still attended IIHF events while maintaining their allegiances with the athletes from Ukraine. I know no one likes politics in sports, but this is one time where politics can actually help hockey be better because visas don't fall under CAS jurisdiction.

Based on the calendar, Canada has a chance to be the first country to prevent Russia from participating IIHF events with the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, and I'm hoping the Canadian government will set the precedent that other countries can follow. If it keeps Russia out of Germany for the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championship, out of Quebec City for the IIHF Women's World Ice Hockey Championship, and out of Czechia for the IIHF U18 Women's World Ice Hockey Championship, the end justifies the means.

You might be wondering about the IIHF U18 Men's World Ice Hockey Championship that's set to be played in Duluth, Minnesota at the end of April, and that might be one where teams are forced to boycott games because I doubt the leader of the United States will want to anger one of his closest allies. But, of course, that's how cowards act.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Standing Up For What's Right

The man to the left may not look like an athlete in his suit, but that's Olympic gold medallist Adam Van Koeverden standing in the Canadian House of Commons where he operates as the Secretary of State for Sport while serving his constituents in the district of Burlington North-Milton West in Ontario. The former Olympic sprint kayaker jumped into the political ring in 2018 where he was elected in his riding in 2019 and has served ever since. Van Koeverden, it should be noted, was very vocal in standing up for and standing behind Ukraine after Russia invaded the country, and he hasn't backed down in the wake of recent announcements in sports.

The invasion of Ukraine sparked a number of reactions from countries across the world who condemned Russia's attack on its sovereign neighbour. I spoke out about how Russia's hockey programs should suffer after they invaded Ukraine, and the IIHF finally came around five days later when they banned both Russia and Belarus from all IIHF-sanctioned events. Frankly, it shouldn't have taken that long.

Van Koeverden, for his part, spoke out in support of Ukraine by condemning Russia's actions as well in 2022, and his efforts got him banned from entering Russia as per Russian Foreign Ministry's website. Granted, most Canadian politicans were banned after the country threw its support behind Ukraine defending its sovereignty, but Van Koeverden has maintained his stance in keeping Russia out of all sporting events until they abandon their Ukrainian takeover idea.

Frankly, I haven't missed seeing Russia in IIHF events and having Belarus as an also-ran hasn't been missed. We've seen some other countries rise to the occasion by advancing to tournaments they may not have participated in and we've seen stronger countries find paths back to prominence. Removing a country led by a war-mongering tyrant from the IIHF's roster of countries really hasn't made hockey worse in any way despite some insisting Russia's inclusion is needed.

Yes, you're certainly wrong if you believe that. No one is perfect.

That's why the decision on Friday by Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to allow the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to return to all IIHF Championships with immediate effect is so disappointing. CAS found that "IIHF arguments citing safety, security and other concerns were not supported by sufficient evidence" and "unanimously concluded that, in the light of the applicable IIHF regulations, only substantiated security concerns could outweigh athletes of a particular nationality to participate in competitions."

In short, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Russia was back in as the evidence that any safety concerns were overblown since nothing happened since Russia's ban had began. Forget the fact that having a clean disaster record is proof that being overcautious was the right choice, but CAS just looking at the words of the IIHF's ban and excluding any moral or ethical foundation in their findings is insane.

Of course, the IIHF immediately released a statement expressing their disappointment in the ruling, but Canada - specifically Van Koeverden - used a little politicking to throw a wrench into the CAS decision thanks to Canadian government funding of events, stating,

"Canada maintains, as it has since 2022, that Russia should not be represented in international sport competitions while Russia's illegal and unjustifiable full-scale invasion against Ukraine continues. Canada will maintain restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes at events hosted in Canada that receive funding from the Government of Canada and explore further options to ensure that the Russian government is held accountable."

Van Koeverden's statement was echoed by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand who told CBC's Power & Politics television program, "This is a very unwelcome decision given the geopolitical situation, given the actions of Russia. All options are on the table and I will say, again, I greet this decision with great disappointment."

That doesn't even begin to consider what other countries' sports bodies feel about the decision, but it seems the world stands in agreement with the IIHF and Canada. The Ukrainian Hockey Federation said it disagreed with the ruling and argued that security concerns had only intensified since 2022 without indicating how it would approach the IIHF Men's Hockey World Championship while more countries initially expressed disappointment in CAS's ruling.

Further actions could be taken by these nations including boycotting IIHF tournaments where Russia participates, but the hockey world is making one thing abundantly clear: Russia is not welcome back. I hope Canada follows through in making that a reality in banning Russian athletes from the IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta.

Playing hockey for any athlete at any level is a privilege, and Russia needs to be reminded of that. Allowing Ukrainians to live in their own sovereign territory under their own flag and laws are human rights, and those rights need to be enforced long before a puck is dropped on any hockey game. Ukraine is a proud nation of incredible people and unique culture. They are not just random statistics or civilian casualties on a spreadsheet for a power-hungry tyrant hellbent on recreating the Communist Soviet Union map of the 1980s.

Because sports achievements are used to prop up the government's success in Russia, denying them that crutch only continues to ensure that all of Putin's efforts aren't validated. Canada seems to be developing a reputation for standing up to power-hungry bullies on a number of fronts, so exercising their political rights in the world of hockey to defend human rights only reinforces that reputation and, if lucky, will embolden other nations to do the same in this situation.

It's never wrong to stand up for what's right. Elbows up, Russia.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 736

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, sees two of three hosts back for some hockey chatter. There was a big event that happened over the weekend in Winnipeg that needs some discussion, and our hosts will tackle all the details surrounding that event as they were on the inside with media credentials! Beyond that, there were some other hockey stories to discuss as being a fan seems to be getting harder and harder. It should be another fun show with lots to cover and discuss, so make sure you're ready to roll for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will take you through all the major events of the 2026 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic that happened in Winnipeg as Sophie is off for an appointment this evening. The two gents will discuss the Alumni Game, the Scotiabank PreGame Fanfest, and the Heritage Classic game itself with an eye on what was good, what needs improvement, and some of the fun things seen from behind-the-scenes as our hosts had media credentials! They'll also look at the mess that happened Monday night with Sportsnet's coverage of two games, Canada and the US women's teams getting reacquainted, the upcoming Female World Sport School Challenge, the new Winnipeg Jets Pride Logo, the investment made into girls' hockey and opportunities for women by the NHL and the Jets, a Swedish hockey player's resume for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a few other things as they shut down October and get ready for November! There will be lots of hockey chatter tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about the Heritage Classic weekend, Rogers destroying hockey, international exhibition hockey, FWSSC info, a new logo, a big investment, a Hall-of-Famer, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The First McFarlane Night

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a closet of jerseys from various teams and leagues, but a number of these jerseys are often found in "worst jerseys of all-time" lists. Whether it be the Bruins' Pooh Bear alternate, the Stars' Mooterus alternate, or the Islanders' Fisherman jersey, there are a pile of hangers with jerseys on them that lots of people once cringed over, but now want for their own collections. One jersey which used to be pretty polarizing is the Edmonton Oilers' alternate jersey, affectionately called the "McFarlane jersey", designed by comic book creator Todd McFarlane. The jersey was unveiled on October 26, 2001 where fans instantly had opinions from good to bad, but it caught the attention of hockey fans across the hockey world.

The McFarlane alternate jersey would be worn for the very first time the next night on Saturday, October 27, 2001 as the Edmonton Oilers welcomed the Vancouver Canucks to Skyreach Centre as Oilers fans would get to see their team in the new navy-and-silver look. Wins would help to ease the jersey into the Oilers' culture while losses would likely give the wrong association with the futuristic design.

A quiet first period with just one penalty called saw the teams hit the break still tied at 0-0, but Jochen Hecht would give Edmonton the lead in the new uniforms just 5:48 into the second frame as he scored on the power-play. Trent Klatt would tie things up as he scored at 10:28 for Vancouver while shorthanded, and the Canucks would go into the second intermission up 2-1 after Brendan Morrison scored with 3:03 left in the period. Could the Oilers rally in this one?

Just 13 seconds into the third period, Todd Marchant tipped a puck past Dan Cloutier to tie the game at 2-2. The teams would battle, but Anson Carter would put the Oilers ahead with 3:54 to play with his power-play goal, and Tommy Salo would close the door the rest of the way as the Oilers prevailed in their new alternate jerseys by a 3-2 score over the Canucks! That would move the Oilers to 8-4-1 on the season and 1-0-0 in the new threads while the Canucks fell to 3-8-1.

The jerseys began to fly off shelves across the hockey world.
As reported by CBC News, the Oilers' new alternate jersey was a hit with Oilers President and CEO Patrick LaForge stating they had sold "$300,000 worth of jerseys" in two-and-a-half days. That's a pretty good return on merchandise sales, and Cal Nichols, who spearheaded the Edmonton Investors Group who saved the Oilers, is right in that a good design should sell across many markets. But did it?

The NHL doesn't have any jersey sales figures for the 2001-02 season published, but LaForge told Global News' Reid Wilkins, "The jersey broke NHL records for third jersey sales for number of units and dollars sold. As we hoped, it was a hit with Todd's followers as well."

That's an encouraging tale when it comes to designing a logo and jersey for all aspiring designers, but McFarlane recalled that his design wasn't intended on just being a hockey logo and design.

"You could walk down the street with it," McFarlane told KISS 91.7FM of his Oilers logo and design. "That's it. That's all. That's how simple I think logos should be. It was a best-selling third jersey. It set records, so God bless Edmonton... a strong logo is a logo that anybody will wear, regardless of the sport. When you look at the wheel and that wing for the Detroit Red Wings, it doesn't say hockey. The Boston Bruins is a B with spokes on it. It's just a classic, cool look."

You might be thinking that the logo never really clicked as an Oilers logo, but they did break it down in a newspaper article to help people understand what the meteor-like oil drop was all about.

It's not a great explanation when you read it today with all the marketing jargon and verbal diarrhea that some teams use, but it was hard not to be impressed by that jersey. The Oilers did very well.

I wrote about my Oilers alternate jersey before on HBIC, but I do have one with #77 Oates on the back and the 25th anniversary patch on the front that they wore in the 2003-04 season. I get a lot of "I forgot Oates played with the Oilers" comments, but everyone seems to love the original McFarlane jersey now and it seems like everyone has a story about a player or a moment that involved these jerseys. Some of the names who wore the jersey are iconic as well: Smyth, Laraque, Niinimaa, Brewer, Pronger, Roloson, Samsonov, Nedved, and the aforementioned Oates. Needless to say, the Oilers had some talent wear this jersey as their careers went through Edmonton!

Clearly, October 27, 2001 is an important day in Edmonton Oilers history, and it certainly is memorable for jersey collectors when looking for the iconic McFarlane Oilers alternate jerseys. Again, some people didn't like it when it debuted, and that's ok. We're all allowed to make mistakes as long as we learn from them, and it should be very obvious that this jersey was absolutely not a mistake in any way.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Because Fans Matter

The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic has come and gone, and all that's left at Princess Auto Stadium is a work crew who are disassembling the NHL's setup and rink. There were lots of things that happened over the course of the week leading up to the big game last night, so I want to highlight a handful of things that really should be happening more often when it comes to making fans matter. The NHL can talk about all its revenue streams all it likes, but fans in seats are still the most important resource that the league and its teams have and need so giving back should always be mandated business for all 32 clubs and the league itself.

The NHL and the Winnipeg Jets combined forces on Thursday night to announce "the completion of Jets Hockey Development Girls Learn to Play, a six-week introductory hockey program for 40 first-time players ages 6 to 10". The investment into girls' hockey in Winnipeg is big as there seems to be more girls playing than ever before, so having the Jets and the NHL work to "expand opportunities for girls and women across Manitoba to play, coach and pursue careers in hockey" is only going to make the women's game better for generations to come.

The effort made by the two organizations will see a $150,000 investment through the NHL Unites Legacy Project so "participants get on-ice instruction from an all-woman coaching staff, equipment support and connections to local minor hockey associations and girls' hockey programs". The program actually launched on September 2 at Hockey For All Centre in west Winnipeg with a welcome event for forty girls and their families that saw them outfitted with equipment thanks to Bauer Canada. The legacy project also includes a $30,000 grant from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund to support women coaches, program resources and player retention in Manitoba.

I know I'm quick to call out the garbage seen in hockey when comes to how the NHL does business, but I need to point out when they do good as well. These investments will go a long way in helping girls in Manitoba find their way into the game while the grant from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund will help ensure that women have a future in hockey during and after their playing days end. I cannot stress how important this is when it comes to opening doors and keeping those doors open for future generations of girls and women, so kudos to the NHL, the NHLPA, and the Winnipeg Jets for making these investments. Again, this will make hockey better in Manitoba.

From there, we jump ahead to Saturday where Ticketmaster presented the NHL Fanfest prior to the Alumni Game, and will come clean right now in that I did not attend this event. In saying that, I did have some sources there as my parents went to check out the event. They wandered around the RBC Convention Centre where a number of vendors had booths offering up giveaways and information on their businesses, and there was a street hockey game featuring a pile of youths outside the main entrance. From what my parents said, this event was packed with fans who took full advantage of the giveaway opportunities, so it was nice to see some of the NHL's sponsors giving back to the people who make the game so much fun. As a fan, there's nothing better than have the sponsors reward your loyalty with some gree gear, so this was a smart move by the NHL and the Jets to hold this event.

Of course, if one had tickets, Scotiabank was sponsoring the bigger, outdoor fan festival at Princess Auto Stadium as Scotiabank was the presenting sponsor of the 2026 Pregame FanFest. All of the NHL's biggest sponsors had tents here for their wares, and this is where I spent most of my Sunday afternoon. Seeing businesses like Upper Deck, Hyundai, Tim Hortons, DoorDash, and Fanatics in one place made the Scotiabank FanFest the place to be if you wanted free shwag as giveaways were plentiful. There were even former NHL stars who were signing autographs for fans at some of the booths! As long as one had a ticket to the game, admission to the Scotiabank Pregame FanFest was free and there were a lot of hockey fans took advantage of this offer as the festival area filled quickly.

At one point, it seemed like the Heritage Classic was being played in Montreal as Canadiens fans flooded the festival area. Jerseys of all kinds were worn as names like Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, and Hutson were joined by some great picks such as Carbonneau, Texier, Markov, Price, and Koivu. Seeing a barber pole Canadiens Gionta centennial jersey was fantastic, there were a handful of reverse retros, and lots of other clothing with Canadiens' logos on them. The chatter of francophone fans as they greeted one another was nice to hear as those fans clearly made the trip to cheer on les Canadiens!

Jets fans began showing up a little later in the afternoon in greater numbers as they had the advantage of staying home a little longer. A handful of Hellebuyck jerseys were spotted on fans, but there were a ton of Wheeler, Ladd, Laine, Scheifele, and Connor jerseys spotted throughout the festival grounds. There were some fun ones as well as Ehlers, Morrissey, Byfuglien, Little, and a number of personalized jerseys were in the mix, but a couple of jerseys fouls were spotted. Regardless, the hometown crowd made its way down to the festival!

Again, I have to throw some kudos out to a number of companies because people got to go home with a pile of stuff. Among the best handouts were Tim Hortons where fans who showed up early got to meet Dustin Byfuglien at the Tim Hortons truck, Tide and Downy sent a ton of people home with laundry detergent and Unstopables, Hyundai let people snap a picture and turn it into a car air freshener, Upper Deck was printing hockey cards of fans who wanted their own card, Celcius was handing out beverages to adults, DoorDash was creating fabric patches for jerseys from their emojis, and both Canadian Tire and Scotiabank were handing out shwag bags.

Admittedly, I spent a lot of time with a few colleagues at the Caterpillar tent, and they were having way too much fun. There was an accuracy shooting challenge that looked easy, but was way harder with the foam pucks used in the booth. There were two claw machines that gave fans a chance to grab a Caterpillar puck stress "ball" or a Caterpillar excavator stress "ball". There was the locker setup if you wanted to get your photo with the jerseys being worn by the Jets and Canadiens. The staff working the tent were handing out Caterpillar-branded skate towels that were cut in the shape of jerseys. And, perhaps best of all, former Jets defenceman Dave Ellett stopped by the tent to sign some autographs for fans! How awesome is that?

There were other autograph signings as well as the aforementioned Dustin Byfuglien was doing his best to sign stuff while slinging coffee, Mike Keane was at the Rogers tent for a while, and Andrew Ladd signed a pile of stuff for fans at the Hyundai tent. Lots of fans were thrilled to meet some of Winnipeg's hockey heroes, so having more alumni coming out to do stuff this like would benefit all teams. And the best part is that you don't need a Heritage Classic to do something like that! All it takes is a little effort and planning!

Look, I went into this weekend aiming to give hockey fans a true experience when it comes to attending one of these outdoor events, and there was obviously both good and bad parts about the weekend. The fanfest events and the Alumni Game were fun, somewhat affordable, and certainly worth the time. I realize that one had to have a game ticket for the Scotiabank Pregame FanFest so that was less affordable for most people, but the effort made by sponsors inside those large fences was worth it from a fan's perspective.

When you consider that tickets ran anywhere from $80 to more than $500 per ticket, that's pricey for sitting 100-feet away from the action. Add into the mix that a lot of people travelled and those costs would need to be calculated, and we're now talking about an expensive investment for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic where the game's action and payoff were hardly worth it. As a citizen of Winnipeg, it's always nice to have visitors from afar, but they weren't here for the Golden Boy nor the riverwalk at The Forks.

If you're thinking about attending the 2027 Winter Classic in Salt Lake City featuring the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth, ticket prices range from $250 to $450 USD with "NHL experience" packages starting around $800 USD. I have no idea what the fanfest will look like in Utah, but I imagine a lot of the sponsors listed above will be there and looking to giveaway some shwag, but that's a hefty price tag for a few packets of laundry detergent, car air fresheners, and a handful of autographs. I'm not saying not to go, but budget wisely.

At the end of the day, if these costs seem like they're climbing out of your comfort zone when it comes to entertainment dollars, you likely aren't alone. I know I wouldn't have been able to afford to go had I not been granted media credentials, but that's because I have a budget. I imagine a lot of people had a blast getting to meet their heroes, pick up some shwag, and watch an outdoor game that will be a weekend of memories, but it's important to remember that a lot of people could not afford to take part in this weekend's festivities.

The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic certainly seemed like it checked all the boxes for the NHL and for fans who could attend, but this outdoor game's costs likely left a lot of fans out in the cold.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Great Outdoors

There is a certain nostalgia that comes with tying up the skates in subzero temperatures, trying to keep fingers and toes warm, and feeling the cold air on one's face when skating up and down the ice on an outdoor rink. While the thermometer hasn't hit subzero marks yet on this day, it is a balmy 5°C as there's a chill in the air for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Fans from across North America descended upon Winnipeg where Princess Auto Stadium was the venue for the latest chapter in the NHL's outdoor game series, and everything leading up to the game felt like the game dame would be a classic. With Winnipeg and Montreal well-represented by the number of jerseys in the stands, it seems like this year's Heritage Classic was exactly what the NHL hoped it would be. All the league needed was a great game.

The pregame festivities saw fans flood the concourse when the gates opened at 4pm as thousands of hockey fans poured into Princess Auto Stadium. In the northwest corner, the Montreal Canadiens played sewerball to the delight of dozens of Canadiens fans who gather to watch. They even belted a rendition of "Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé!" to make their favorite team feel a little more at home in Winnipeg, so the Montreal faithful was representing le bleu-blanc-et-rouge well.

At one point, the TimBits hockey players got a massive surprise when Youppi! grabbed a stick and joined them on the "pond" rink that the NHL had setup. Mick E. Moose joined them as well, and the two mascots were making passes to and high-fiving all the tykes in skates as they played. Photos were taken with the mascots, and the kids all wore smiles as the two furry icons made things a little more fun.

I will say that the in-house entertainment was, at times, questionable in the choices made. There was a contest run that turned out to be an advertisement for a smoking cessation product, and there were highlights of fans in the crowd "reverse eating" their food. I honestly cringed at the ad disguised as a contest, but watching people un-eat their food was a sight I never want to see again. Watching it was weird, it looked disgusting, and it was totally unnecessary.

At 5:30pm on the dot, the teams made their way out for warm-ups, and every player except the goalies wore Heritage Classic toques. I know the NHL's mandate is to have players in helmets during warm-ups for liability reasons, but seeing the two teams clad in toques is an awesome sight. Quick checks on numbers showed that newly-acquired Nico Daws wasn't in uniform for warm-ups, but Dawson Mercer was on the ice and wearing #19. It looks like we're going to see one of the newest Jets on the ice tonight! How about that debut?

FIRST PERIOD

Jacob Fowler took the ice in the Montreal crease while Stuart Skinner was guarding the Jets net to start the game after the bilingual singing of "O Canada" done by Soulbear. Adam Lowry's line featuring the aforementioned Mercer was introduced as the starting lineup for the Jets, and the crowd gave Mercer a solid ovation as a welcome to the city. The ceremonial face-off saw Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, and Dustin Byfuglien welcomed back by the fans to boisterous cheers!

The first ten minutes were largely uneventful despite the Jets missing a couple of scoring chances while Zach Bolduc rung one of the crossbar. Montreal seemed to have problems connecting passes as they were guilty of icing the puck a number of times, but the Jets could not capitalize on the offensive zone face-offs. A goalmouth scramble at 14:13 saw the fans loudly exclaim "STUUUUU!" as Skinner kept the puck out of the Winnipeg net as the chess match wore on.

With 3:46 remaining, Alexandre Carrier ran interference on Viggo Björck at the Montreal blueline, and we'd get our first power-play of the game! Alex Newhook nearly put Montreal up with a shorthanded breakway, but his shot rattled the boards behind Skinner as he missed the net. Winnipeg would be unsuccessful on their first advantage of the night, but time would end with the horn and the game tied 0-0.

I fully admit that I didn't watch a second of the intermission, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves about this. I have no comment.

SECOND PERIOD

Cole Caufield started the period off with a breakaway, but he sailed his shot over the net into the glass behind Skinner. It took a while, but we'd finally get the opening goal at the 7:19 mark when the two Montreal defenders worked down low with Noah Dobson feeding a cross-crease pass from the half-boards to a pinching Lane Hutson on the backdoor for a tap-in and the Canadiens grabbed the 1-0 lead!


Dawson Mercer got his first good look on a partial 2-on-1 with Isak Rosén nine-and-a-half minutes in, but his shot would be blocked away by Fowler. Through nearly thirty minutes of hockey, though, Dawson Mercer has been solid with heads-up defensive play, a knack from jumping into offensive rushes, and smart passes to teammates. I was already a fan, but Mercer's lunchbox style of play should make Jets fans appreciate him more. He's going to be good for this club.

Montreal would extend their lead at the 11:04 mark when Kaiden Guhle's shot found space past Skinner and a mass of humanity out in front of the Jets' crease. Honestly, I'm not surprised that Skinner didn't see that puck because there were four bodies standing directly in front of him, and that puck seemed to find whatever tiny seam there was to get past the bodies and hit the back of the net. Montreal took a 2-0 lead on their second goal from a defenceman.

Alex Newhook would be sent off at 12:53 after his stick came up and caught Isak Rosén in the face area, and the Jets went to work on their second power-play. Aside from Skinner making a stop on Josh Anderson, the Jets wouldn't get anything dangerous in the way of scoring, and another advantage took two minutes off the clock. And despite the Jets getting shots in the last five minutes, nothing would get past Fowler as that 2-0 score would carry into the second break.

The chairs in the pressbox that we were seated on could be considered a form of torture, so I needed to stretch my legs during the second intermission. Again, talk amongst yourselves.

THIRD PERIOD

Another uninspired start to the period from both sides would lead to a mistake. At 5:08, Alex Newhook tripped up Adam Lowry to send Winnipeg to its third power-play, so could the Jets capitalize on this opportunity? The Jets got their best scoring chance in two periods when Cole Perfetti set up Mark Scheifele for a one-timer from the left face-off dot, but Fowler's blocker kept that Jets off the board again. The power-play was unable to score for a third time, and the clock began to become part of the problem with Jets down two goals.

With very little action at both ends for a length of time, Mark Scheifele finally found some room in the offensive zone with 6:10 to play where he was able to get a wrist shot off from the hashmarks. The only problem? Fowler's glove picked it out of the air to keep the Jets off the board. With six minutes left, it appeared the Jets may remain scoreless at Princess Auto Stadium after falling to Edmonton 3-0 in 2016. Would Montreal keep the goalless streak alive?

That answer was a resounding NO as Isak Rosén would finally solve Fowler off a great setup from Vilardi in the high slot. Rosén, standing by the left post, one-timed the feed into the yawning cage, and thr Jets were on the board off Rosén's first goal of the season with 4:36 to play. Montreal held a 2-1 lead and this game was far from over.

Josh Anderson would add a little intrigue to the game as he was called for tripping with 92 seconds remaining, and the Jets' lifeless power-play needed to find some fire. Skinner would begin in the net, but he would be called to the bench quickly for the 6-on-4 attack. And without a shot in the final minue-and-a-half, the Jets would fall by a 2-1 score to the Montreal Canadiens as the final score wraps up the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic from Winnipeg!

FINAL THOUGHTS

For as much fun as the other events were this weekend, this game felt a lot like the 2016 Heritage Classic game where the play on the ice was entirely forgettable. I understand that there has to be a winner and loser, but the entertainment value compared to ticket prices aren't even in the same ballpark or football stadium. Had I paid for tickets to this event, I would have been disappointed with my investment. Simply put, this was not an enteraining game.

If you're a Montreal Canadiens fans, you're happy that your team picked up two points. The penalty killing efforts are definitely something to put in one's back pocket as well as they stymied the Winnipeg offence, and Jacob Fowler looks every bit as confident as I've ever seen him. While some worried when Jakub Dobes struggled, it seems very clear that the Canadiens have a 1A and 1B situation in goal as opposed to a starter-backup tandem. That bodes well.

If you're a Winnipeg Jets fan, you can take solace in the facts that Stuart Skinner's play looks solid, the return of Elias Salomonsson showed he was ready to step back into a top-six role, and Dawson Mercer will be a nice addition to the Jets' depth. Tbe power-play was dreadful, however, and there should be some concern over how the Jets attack the offensive zone. A sixth loss in seven games doesn't stop the questions about how this team is built from being asked.

From a presentation perspective, though, the NHL achieved what it set out to do: selling out the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium, selling out the Alumni Game at Canada Life Centre, stoking the passion for hockey in two major fanbases that are important in the NHL's makeup, and sending fans home with memories made. Yes, tickets to make those memories cost an extraordinary amount of money, but 32,343 fans showed up, cheered, and had a good time.

That's mission accomplished for the NHL by their business standards.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Running It Back In Winnipeg

On a day when a former teammate was speaking to the media after being traded, the city of Winnipeg turned its attention to the weekend that lies ahead as the 2026 Tim Horton's Heritage Classic got underway in a big way on Saturday. There was a fan event in downtown Winnipeg today that saw an incredible number of people attend, but the main focus on Saturday was the Alumni Game featuring past players from the Jets and Canadiens meeting at Canada Life Centre. With all the former stars in town, there was an incredible electricity in the air as I made my way to the arena!

Fans in Winnipeg certainly turned out as the lineups at the doors to Canada Life Centre were already long on the sidewalks outside before the gates officially opened. Jerseys of every style worn by both the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens were on display as fans wore their favorite team's colours proudly. There was a lot of bleu-blanc-et-rouge in the lines, but it was awesome seeing the Reverse Retro jerseys of the Canadiens being worn by a handful of fans. Names like Price, Gallagher, Roy were flanked by Suzuki, Caufield, and Demidov throughout the stands as the Montreal faithful showed up to cheer!

Jets fans certainly didn't disappoint in their choices of jerseys at the Alumni Game as a military-themed Wheeler jersey was seen, a couple of RCAF alternates were present, a handful of Aviator jerseys made apppearances, and both versions of the heritage jerseys were interspersed throughout the stands. There were lots of Ladd, Byfuglien, Scheifele, and Enstrom jerseys in Jets double-blue, but there was a very noticeable absence of #37 jerseys in the crowd. That wound likely will need years to heal at this point.

Video on the scoreboard showed player entrances into the arena, and the video of Dustin Byfuglien's arrival got a huge cheer from the Winnipeg crowd. Having the big defender back in Winnipeg feels right, and my hope would be that the Jets find a way to make his presence in this city a little more frequent. Make him the Executive Director of Fun or something along those lines, but it's clear that Winnipeg fans miss seeing #33's smile and personality on display.

Honestly, it was kind of surreal to see all these guys back in full uniform and going through warm-ups again. Even Jason Kasdorf, wearing #75, was kicking out pucks like he was getting his first NHL start after being drafted by the Jets in 2011, but never playing for them. It was just as lively down in the Canadiens' end of the ice as guys like Erik Cole and Andrei Markov look like they haven't lost a step. Of course, game speed is different than warm-ups, so we'll see what happens shortly when both teams lineup for real action!

Jets alumni head coach Claude Noel had already made it clear that he's going to give Jets fans what they want in reuniting Bryan Litte, Andrew Ladd, and Blake Wheeler from the early days of Jets 2.0, and he's committed to having Tanner Glass, Chris Thorburn, and Jim Slater skate together as the fabled GST line finds its way back to a rink. Beyond that, no other lineup "guarantees" have been made by either team, but there could be all sorts of fun possibilities!

Juno-nomimated band The Trews filled in the time between warm-up and the opening face-off with a solid set of music that included fan favourite "Tired of Waiting" to which a number of fans were singing. Full marks to the band, the Jets, and the NHL for having them play this event. Good Canadian bands never get enough press, and The Trews are certainly among the best Canadian rock bands on the map today. My only complaint? The Jets didn't have them in jerseys! As a result, I can't add them to the Jets' section on the Musicians in Jerseys page! C'mon, Jets - that's easy marketing for your brand!

Roster introductions were very well done with former Jets Lucien Deblois and Stephane Quintal, "coach" PK Subban, goaltender Jaroslav Halak, and defenceman Andrei Markov getting loud cheers from the Canada Life Centre crowd. On the Jets' side, the original "Stu" Mark Stuart, captain Andrew Ladd, alternate captain Bryan Little, always-entertaining Chris Thorburn, captain Blake Wheeler, shifty Mathieu Perreault, and head coach Claude Noel all had incredible pops for their introductions, but the crowd didn't hold back during Dustin Byfuglien's appearance on the scoreboard. Again, the Jets have to find a way to keep this guy in the mix. He's good for business.

In what has to be one of the cooler things done at any Heritage Classic, the Jets brought out descendents of the 1896 Stanley Cup players featuring the Montreal Victorias and Winnipeg Victorias for the ceremonial face-off. For those who are unaware, Winnipeg beat Montreal 2-0 on February 14, 1896, becoming the first team outside the AHAC to win the Stanley Cup on goals by Jack "JC" Armytage and Colin "Tote" Campbell. It also marked the first time that a Stanley Cup Parade was held in Winnipeg as the team celebrated their victory down Main Street in downtown Winnipeg! How cool is that?

FIRST PERIOD

When the game finally got underway, both sides looked for an advantage early, but it was hardly a track meet. A few missed passes led to rushes the other way, but shots came mainly outside the high-danger areas. Montreal had the first good chance in tight about four-and-a-half minutes in, but Michael Hutchinson made a big stop to keep the game tied at zeroes through the early part of the game.

The first penalty was assessed to Adam Pardy, giving Paul Byron a penalty shot from center ice after five minutes of play. He made no mistake going high blocker side on Hutchinson to put the Canadians Alumni up 1-0 as Byron's fly-by the benches earned him a few chirps. Immediately, the Jets pressed back as they looked for an equalizer, but some Jaroslav Halak made a good stop on the backdoor as Jim Slater set up Chris Thorburn, and we hit our first break at 7:09 with the Montreal Canadiens still in front off that Paul Byron goal.

The Jets would immediately respond afte the break as defender Ron Hainsey snuck in from the point and took a pass from Jim Slater to find himself all alone with Halak. A quick move to the backhand found room between Halak's pads, and Hainsey had tied the game at the 7:32 mark! Chris Thorburn drew the secondary assist, so the GST line is already paying off! Two minutes later, Hainsey broke up a Dale Weise breakaway, so the defender was making an early case for MVP!

With just over two minutes to play in the opening frame, it appeared Montreal took a 2-1 lead, but it was ruled that Erik Cole had knocked the puck out of the air with a high stick in front of Hutchinson, and the goal was waved off to the delight of the crowd. Cole would protest, but the referees would hear none of it and there are no replays or coach's challeneges in today's Alumni Game!

It would not matter, though, as 21 seconds later, Erik Cole looked to set up David Desharnais in the slot, but Desharnais fed the puck to Guillaume Latendresse and he had nothing but twine to shoot at as Hutchinson had slid across on the initial pass. Montreal led 2-1 at the sound of the horn off that tic-tac-toe Latendresse goal.

The first intermission saw The Trews back on the Samsung Stage where they played another quick three-song set to the delight of a number of fans based on all the dancing in the stands shown on the videoboard. Again, more Canadian bands featured at Canadian-based events, please. Canada has too much music talent to be overlooked for Grey Cups, Heritage Classics, and other major events.

SECOND PERIOD

The second period started with a little back-and-forth with Hutchinson stopping Cole and Halak stopping Glass. Perreault missed a backdoor chip into the net 2:46 into the frame, and Montreal raced right back and was stopped by Hutchinson. Cole hit a goal post at the 4:30 mark, and Montreal would keep the press on before Marc-Andre Bergeron hit Guillaume Latendresse with a backdoor pass that allowed him to deke around Hutchinson and tuck the puck around the post into the net. Montreal took a 3-1 lead on Latendresse's second goal of the game just before the five-minute mark of the period.

The one and only Youppi! was shown on the videoboard as the Canadiens' mascot is travelling with the team to this year's Heritage Classic. He was shown taking selfies with fans, so be on the lookout for him at Princess Auto Stadium! Less than a minute after play resumed, Mark Stuart tipped Derek Meech's shot past Halak at the 7:22 mark to make it 3-2, and Anthony Peluso, known for his fists, showed some great hands on a partial breakaway set up by Paul Stastny as he went forehand-backhand to beat Halak high on the stick side to make it 3-3 at 7:37! The Jets were flying!

That quick succession of goals lit a fire in the Canadiens as well as David Savard put his name on the scoresheet when he beat Hutchinson at 8:13 to make it a 4-3 contest as the goals kept coming. At the 8:36 mark, Andrew Ladd got hauled down, setting him up for a penalty shot. He came in and went high glove with his shot, but Halak watched it go over the bar to keep the game at a one-goal Habs lead.

The Canadiens restored their two-goal lead on a 3-on-2 at the 9:01 mark when Paul Byron simply had to tap the puck across the line off an incredible feed from Patrice Brisebois as Montreal went up 5-3. The Canadiens also opted for a goalie change as Yann Danis made his way to the crease for the second half of this entertaining game!

Another penalty shot was awarded to the Jets' Mathieu Perreault with 4:33 remaining, but his deke was stopped by the left toe of Danis to keep the two-goal lead intact. A giveaway at the offensive zone blueline by Marc Stuart almost saw Brandon Prust make it a three-goal lead, but he fired the puck wide with Hutchinson way out his net to challenge. The offence certainly ramped up in this period!

Danis turned away a partial Anthony Peluso breakaway with 2:55 left, and was saved by defence when they pulled a puck off the line that trickled through him with 40 seconds left in the frame. The horn would finally sound on the second period, though, and the Winnipeg Jets had some work to do in the third period if they wanted a win as the Montreal Canadiens led by a 5-3 score after thirty minutes of play!

You may be saying "isn't that supposed to be forty minutes" which would normally be correct. However, the 2026 Tim Horton's Heritage Classic Alumni Game has fifteen-minute periods rather than the traditional twenty-minute frames. Shorter periods is one of the benefits of playing in alumni games, I guess. Either way, it's been a fun thirty minutes thus far, and we have one more period to play! Oh, and more from The Trews in the intermission. Keep it coming.

THIRD PERIOD

Jason Kasdorf led the Jets onto the ice for the third period as he took over for Michael Hutchinson between the pipes. 34 seconds in, Yann Danis came up big again, stopping Jim Slater on a breakaway. Danis made another good stop on Blake Wheeler 90 seconds into the frame, so it looks like the Jets will need to up their game if they want to beat the Montreal netminder. He's playing very well.

Kasdorf showed his skills with a quick save on Paul Byron as he flashed the blocker before making a second stop with his pads out front at the 3:15 mark. 27 seconds later, Yann Danis flashed the leather to take a corner away from Anthony Peluso as the two-goal Montreal lead held strong thanks to their netminder's talents.

You know you're a fan favorite when every time the puck touches your stick in the offensive zone and the crowd yells "SHOOT!" Dustin Byfuglien was getting that treatment as the fans at Canada Life Centre wanted to see the big guy score, but the one clapper he did take was absorbed by Danis's pads. If he gets one tonight, the lid may explode off this arena as the fans are currently chanting his name.

9:20 into the period, Tanner Glass cut in hard off the wing with a defender on his hip, but Danis stood tall once more. He couldn't stop them all, though, as Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd came in on a 2-on-1, and Wheeler lasered a wrist shot high glove side on Danis that found twine at 10:01 to make it a 5-4 game! That line would continue to hem the Habs in their zone after the face-off, but the Canadiens would finally break the pressure to get a change.

With 2:30 to go, the Habs flew out of their zone with Erik Cole heading down the right wing. He spotted Davis Desharnais in the middle who somehow got his stick loose, and he flipped the puck past Kasdorf to make it a 6-4 game. Honestly, full marks to Desharnais who looked like he was wrapped up, but he found a way to score.

With 1:10 to go, Bryan Little clanged the crossbar, and the Jets pulled Kasdorf to make a late play for a couple of goals. Montreal's Erik Cole would ice the game with 15 seconds to play when he scored on the empty cage from just inside the left-wing blue line, and the Montreal Canadiens' alumni skated to the 7-4 vivctory on this Saturday night!

Canada Life Centre fans didn't hold back the applause after the game, though, as they cheered both teams' salutes to the crowd as handshakes, helmet taps, smiles, and laughs were exchanged by the players as they shook hands at center ice. Honestly, this is exactly how this game should end as both sides put on a fun show for everyone in attendance and watching at home. Bravo to both squads!

After the handshakes, both teams came together for photos at center ice, and a number of fans who had been selected were let onto the ice for photos with the players. Impressively, one person was wearing a Bryan Little Atlanta Thrashers jersey, so full marks to that fan! That's an awesome jersey to sport on a night like this! Joining these fans were also Mick E. Moose, Benny, Youppi!, and Metal! as the mascots joined their respective teams. Frankly, this is an awesome way to end this game. Good on everyone involved in this part!

OVERALL

From a fan's perspective, this was a great way to kick off the actual gameplay part of the Heritage Classic weekend. I know these sorts of alumni games can't be done every week, but it says a lot about how much these retired players mean to the fans and these teams. I don't think that can be stressed enough when you heard the cheers tonight, but they recognized their importance by acknowledging the crowd. All of this is how hockey can build fan relationships.

Winnipeg, like it always does, came out and supported hockey once again, and it's incredible to see the passion that fans have despite some of the economic strains on people right now. Seeing everyone - Jets fans and Montreal fans alike - out in their team's colours is why Winnipeg always comes through as a hockey town. Seeing the alumni interacting with fans is why hockey is part of this city's bloodstream.

Tomorrow, we head outside as the current versions of the Jets and Canadiens meet at Princess Auto Stadium for the Heritage Classic game, and fans are invited and encouraged to welcome Jets and Canadiens players as they arrive at Princess Auto Stadium tomorrow. Fans should be along the walkway to Gate 1 at 2:45pm when the Winnipeg Jets arrive and at approximately 3:15pm for when the Montreal Canadiens arrive. Of course, the Heritage Classic Fanfest will be happening across for Princess Auto Stadium as well, so there's lots to do on Sunday before the game! I hope to see you there!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 735

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with all the host seats filled as Sophie returns from conquering the universe, Jason checks in after adventuring this past week, and Teebz is... well, he's there too. All in all, it's going to be a busy show that will see the main story likely spark fires in listeners because it certainly does in our hosts. That story and a few other discussions are ready for banter tonight, so make sure you're ready for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz, Jason, and Sophie will take a long look at the recent news coming out about sports betting in Canada and how it's affecting people in the two places where online sportsbooks are legal in Ontario and Alberta. There will be a lot of information and discussion on this, but the hosts will also discuss PWHL team names and the four unnamed teams who have their names, Brady Tkachuk being welcomed back to Ottawa, Connor Hellebuyck's treatment if or when he returns to Winnipeg, a unique set of games in the ECHL that should be explored by other leagues, something about events happening in Winnipeg this weekend, and anything else we can squeeze into the hour. It's an episode that rattles some cages and has lots of discussion as the three hosts get into all the topics tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz, Jason, and Sophie chat about the betting pitfalls, bad names, crowd chants, future receptions, big events, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 22, 2026: Episode 735

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

An Oddly-Coloured Set Of Games

You may recognize the jersey to the left as being one of the Florida Panthers "fashion jerseys" that Starter produced in the late-1990s when they held a handful of NHL merchandise rights. The Panthers never wore anything like this on the ice in their history, of course, but there were other like the red Buffalo Sabres goathead jersey, a very blue Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, and a light blue Colorado Avalanche jersey. There were more of these, but they felt somewhat like where the new Hometown Remix jerseys got their inspiration. What if, however, your favorite team came out wearing the colours of a local rival while those rivals wore your team's colours? It might be hard to stomach, but it's the "a rose by any other name" idea with a hockey twist!

The ECHL announced today that they're going to have four teams participate in an "Impossible Pair" set of games where the rivals will swap jersey colours to throw everyone for loop! As per their announcement, the Florida Everblades and Orlando Solar Bears will swap jersey colours for two games and the Indy Fire and Bloomington Bison will do the same! Make sure you cheer for the right team!

Bloomington and Indy will get things started on November 28 when the Fuel visit the Bisons. The red Bloomington jersey doesn't look all that out of place considering they've worn a red jersey before, but that baby blue Indy Fuel jersey seems all sorts of wrong. Both teams will auction off the jerseys in both games they play to help support charities in those cities, but I'm curious how many Indy Fuel fans will want a Bison-coloured Fuel jersey for their closet. The good news is that the second game goes a month later on December 26 in Fishers, Indiana where these two oddly-coloured teams will square off again! Good charities will benefit, so make sure you get your bids in!

The second two-game set features the panhandle rivalry as the Orlando Solar Bears will visit Estero, Florida for a battle with the Florida Everblades on December 26 with both teams wearing the jerseys to the left. The pink of the Solar Bears logo on the green Everblades jersey colour looks very odd, and I'm not sure I like the orange alligator on the front of the Everblades' jerseys. These are definitely unique and should be fun for both fanbases, and we'll see the second game take place in Orlando on January 11. I'm sure we'll see fans from both cities travel for these games thanks to proximity, and remember to get your bids in to help some very deserving charities!

For those wondering how this idea came about, "[t]he Impossible Pair jersey mash-up is the brainchild of PACT!, a non-partisan organization dedicated to shattering intolerance through gutsy stunts of radical goodness." PACT! has some big goals and they achieve those goals through a variety of means, but the goal in each of their actions is to bring people together, to erase hate, and, specifically in the "Impossible Pair" games, to help some great local charities in these four ECHL cities. That's where I hope ECHL fans chip in to help.

Nothing has been announced as to which local charities will be helped in each city, but the teams have a month to figure out where the money they raise in the jersey auctions go. I know money is tight for a lot of people right now as well, so, if you're planning on bidding on jerseys, please keep to a budget. I know it would be cool to have one of these jerseys, but not paying bills or buying less food and being hungry isn't a way to show your support. Be mindful of that.

We'll see these crazy colour swaps go live at the end of November, so grab tickets today for one of these games! Those two December 26 games would make great Christmas gifts for hockey fans, so that might be a fun day at the rink if you're looking for a unique gift! And if you have the means, help out a local charity by bidding on one of the jerseys. Most of all, have fun cheering for the right team in the wrong jersey on those four Impossible Pair nights this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

It's Official!

I'm not one to ever post things to social media. I find the idea of living my life through the approval of others to be an absurd concept, and I certainly never want to be an influencer. Frankly, the idea of celebrating anything online seems vapid to me when those moments should be celebrated with people who have a vested interest in my life. In short, this article already makes me uncomfortable, but today marked the first time that UMFM got called up to the big show!

If you were listening to The Hockey Show on Thursday, you may have heard that Jason and I have been credentialed for the upcoming Heritage Classic game taking place in Winnipeg. The entire idea started out as a lark because we never, in a million years, thought the NHL would consider us as a media outlet like 680 CJOB or CBC Radio One 98.3FM, but the NHL processed our application for access and we were approved for credentials to NHL events moving forward!

Both Jason and I have been credentialed before - we both were in the pressbox for the PWHL Takeover Tour game in Winnipeg - so this isn't like we're getting our first seat on media row. It does mark the first time, however, that UMFM has been invited to an NHL event, and we plan on covering the events this weekend as closely as we did during the PWHL's event. Expect photos and write-ups from both of us!

Today, I went down to Princess Auto Stadium to pick up those credentials in order to be ready for the weekend. I thought the place would be busier, but I was literally the only person there to acquire said credentials. There could have been media inside with NHL executives where they were going over rink dimensions and having questions answered, but I arrived at the pressbox at Princess Auto Stadium and it looked like a ghost town. There were a handful of construction guys working inside the gate and they asked me if was there to work. I had to respectfully decline that work, but one of the guys joked that working on the Heritage Classic venue was the only way he could it in-person. After a few laughs, I left them working on their project, headed back to my car, and sat there for a few moments examining the credentials.

The little yellow square had caught my attention because it gave us access to the players pre-game and post-game! I'll be completely honest in saying that I will not be heading to either locker room at any point on the weekend despite having access because I want to talk about the Heritage Classic experience from a fan's perspective. Fans don't have that kind of unfettered access, so I won't be taking advantage of it either. It's a surreal feeling knowing I could go down and chat with players, but that's not what this blog nor the radio show does unless it's a full interview rather than some quotable press snippets.

In any case, getting the opportunity to cover the Heritage Classic will be a fun experience where Jason and I can go behind the scenes for a major NHL event. We saw how Winnipeg came out and supported the PWHL's Takeover Tour, and it's pretty clear that Winnipeg has been wanting another outdoor game after the Oilers and Jets met here in 2016 and the Oilers prevailed 3-0. The Montreal Canadiens aren't going to be a pushover of any kind with how they're playing, so it should be a great game that features two passionate fanbases!

We'll have more about this on The Hockey Show this week, so make sure you tune in to hear what Jason and I will be doing as the big game approaches on Sunday. We will be going to different parts of the events all weekend, so find out which of us will be where when it comes to the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg this weekend!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

History Tonight

There were a lot of firsts that happened tonight in Rio Rancho, New Mexico where the ECHL's New Mexico Goatheads took the ice in an ECHL regular season game for the first time. The Goatheads were hosting the Idaho Steelheads in their inaugural game, so there would be first saves, first penalties, first fights, and, hopefully, first goals scored by both teams. I watched the majority of this game with the camera positioned somewhere in the upper deck at the Rio Rancho Events Center, but we'd see history made on this night as the Goatheads took the ice!

We'll get a few easy historical moments out of the way as #88 Dakota Seaman recorded the first shot in Goatheads history 2:44 into the game. Idaho's Jaxon Fuder was turned away by #40 Isaiah Saville in the New Mexico net just 57 seconds in to record the first save in franchise history. #27 Lynden Breen was called for hooking at 4:54 of the first period as he was the first Goatheads player to visit the sin bin, and Idaho's #11 Angus MacDonell was the first person to light the lamp behind Saville at the 15:19 mark of the first period as MacDonell scored the first goal on the Goatheads. It was a busy opening frame.

Idaho would add a pair of goals in the second period to lead 3-0 after forty minutes, and there was some trepidation that the Goatheads may not solve Jake Barczewski on this night. However, we'd see the Goatheads make a push in the third period where this moment was captured and posted on the New Mexico Goatheads' Twitter account!
The very first Goatheads goal in the ECHL belongs to #18 Cameron Buhl who found room past Barczewski at 7:34 of the third period while on the power-play to cut the Idaho lead to 3-1 as #27 Lynden Breen and #12 Saige Weinstein collected the first primary and secondary assists, respectively, in franchise history! Idaho's Charlie Dodero was in the penalty box for the goal after being called for interference at 6:11. Clearly, Buhl's goal was a big moment in the franchise's history, but there was still hockey to be played as points were on the line as the Goatheads looked to rally for a win!

Unfortunately for the Goatheads and their fans, Idaho was in a stingy mood as they shut the door after that goal. Mason Nevers would score an empty-netter with eight seconds remaining, and the Steelheads downed the Goatheads by a 4-1 score in New Mexico's inaugural game. In watching this game, I wanted to see New Mexico put more pucks on net as they were outshot 35-25, but had multiple opportunities to send pucks to the net with players heading towards the crease. I'll let head coach Zack Stortini sort that out, though.

While the fans may have left disappointed in the result tonight, the Goatheads sold out tonight's inaugural game and there are a limited number of tickets available for tomorrow's rematch. No one should be celebrating this expansion as an unquestionable success just yet, but two sellouts against a division rival to start the season is a good way to impress the ECHL brass. Here's hoping the fans keep coming back!

Winning would certainly help, and the Goatheads will go into Saturday 0-1-0 after a spirited, but unsuccessful, first game. Can they bounce back and win the back-half of the two-game set against the Steelheads? We'll find out tomorrow when Idaho and New Mexico meet again at the Rio Rancho Events Center at 7pm MDT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 734

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back with our two usual gunslingers as Sophie is already booked as she tries to take over the world. That leaves our two opinionated hosts to discuss a number of hockey topics from this past week, and they may even chat about something fun as well! What may that be, you ask? Well, you're going to have to find a seat, a radio or internet-connected device, and tune into The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason will look at what seems to be a "canary in the coalmine" situation when it comes to the Vegas Golden Knights' sellout streak ending. There are lots of reasons for it, but the comments on one blog along with comments collected by the author might surprise you when it comes to why Vegas saw a pile of empty seats last Thursday. Beyond that, our hosts will chat about a coach being dismissed, the continued misuse of public funds to help billionaires, a significant drop in fans in one market, and something big happening in the Winnipeg market near the end of October! It's going to be a busy show with lots of chatter, so make sure you're ready for the discussion on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason examine a harsh reality, a vacant job, misappropriation of funds, empty seats, a fun event, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: October 15, 2026: Episode 734

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A Fun Side Quest

I don't normally spend a lot of time pouring over the transaction list in hockey, but I do keep an eye on the ECHL transactions during this time of year to see if any U SPORTS players have been added or released. One name on the list jumped out to me on October 10, and I decided to look into this person because I don't know many men named "Colleen" who play hockey. Might we be seeing the Stingrays with a female goalie?

Before we get into this, let's just remember that an EBUG in the ECHL is a contract that guarantees nothing more than a few days of working in practices. They are vitally important, though, because they fill in when goalies are moving between leagues or when a netminder gets injured. We saw how important the EBUG was to the Fort Wayne Komets back in 2002 as they earned a win with EBUG Joe Franke between the pipes! Clearly, EBUGs serve an important role.

With ECHL teams currently running through training camps and preseason games, EBUGs become important as teams wait for goalies to arrive from AHL clubs or release goalies who may not be ready for ECHL action. There have been a handful signed in the last week as teams sort out their rosters, and the South Carolina Stingrays appeared to need one on Saturday as they tapped into their local Charleston Youth Hockey Association where Colleen Jacoby was working as the association's goalie coach! The Muskegon, Michigan native last played competitive hockey in 2015-16 for the ACHA Division II University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, but she was on the ice this weekend stopping pucks in an ECHL crease as she broke out the pads and mask for the Stingrays! How cool is that?

It should be noted that Colleen Jacoby wasn't likely looking for an ECHL job as she currently works as an attorney at Tecklenburg, Jenkins & Jacoby. She keeps her skills sharp through coaching and playing adult hockey around Charleston, though, so it's not like the Stingrays were throwing an untrained, unprepared player in the crease. She's still a Red Wings fan in terms of her hockey love, and her goaltending numbers at both Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota-Duluth shows she knows how to stop pucks!

Jacoby was splitting goaltending duties over the weekend with Ben Kraws who played with the Idaho Steelheads last season, and it's expected that there will be a goaltender sent to them eventually by the Hershey Bears as they're currently carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Until they do, though, it seems that Colleen Jacoby will be wearing a Stingrays jersey! For how long is the big question.

South Carolina doesn't play a game until Friday when they travel to Jacksonville to meet the Icemen to open the 2026-27 ECHL season. On Saturday, October 17, they'll be back in Charleston for their home opener against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and I'll be keeping my eye on the transactions records for the next few days to see if Colleen remains with the club. It's very likely that she'll be released before the team travels on Thursday, but any injury in Hershey or Washington may change those plans. Such is the nature of hockey.

You might be thinking that the Stingrays would be taking it easy on our lawyer-turned-pro-goalie, but it looks like Jacoby is holding her own in camp to the delight of her new teammates and coaches!
It's always awesome to see head coach Jesse Kallechy and the team's starting netminder and Jacoby's goaltending partner Ben Kraws excited about how she's been playing in camp, and that will only extend her stay with the Stingrays. Again, I'm not saying she'll be on the opening night roster or anything, but the fact that she can hang with ECHL shooters shows she has the talents to be in their camp.

I love stories like this and I'm glad that Jacoby's getting her chance to shine. She's a successful lawyer who clearly loves the game, but it seems she's living a dream this week as she's in a professional training camp with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Even if she is released by the team, she showed she can do the job if needed. Perhaps there's some room on the Stingrays' payroll for an EBUG who is skilled enough to negotiate her own professional hockey contract?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

***UPDATE: Colleen Jacoby was released as the EBUG with Hershey assigning Garin Bjorklund to South Carolina late on October 12. As a result, Jacoby will not be on the Stingray's official roster for this week's opening games in Jacksonville and against Greenville.***